Basic info: The Nosferatu are the least human in appearance of all the lineages. They look something like feral animals. Their scent and appearance is revolting - one could even say monstrous. They have long bulbous ears, a coarse-skinned skull covered with tufts of hair, and elongated faces covered with the most disgusting warts and lumps. Their hideous appearance makes them quite unpopular and completely unable to exist in civilization. They are, however, endowed with a unique ability to conceal themselves from sight (through a Discipline called Obfuscation), which makes them formidable spies and ambushers. They've made an art of collecting information and selling it for a dear price. They are also the masters of the underground, living in the sewers for protection. The founder is said to have been a man of regal visage who incurred the wrath of Caine for his barbaric activities and was thereby cursed with the face of a hag. The savagery of his soul is reflected upon his face and that of all his progeny. After a Nosferatu has been Embraced, he undergoes an exceptionally painful period of Transformation. Over a period of weeks, he slowly shifts from his mortal to Nosferatu guise. In the beginning, the childe may revel in his new-found powers, but soon the pain and the changes begin. It is likely that the psychological trauma is more painful than the physical trauma. Nosferatu only Embrace those mortals who are twisted in one-way or another: emotionally, physically, spiritually or intellectually. They consider the Embrace to be too horrific to bestow on any worthwhile human being. With the change into a vampire, the Nosferatu hopes to somehow redeem the mortal, to give her a second chance. It is surprising how often it works. Underneath the grim exterior, the Nosferatu are practical and mostly sane. It is said that they revel in being dirty and disgusting and do little to make themselves look better (though there is very little they could do). Despite this, they are cheerful amid their squalor, especially so when others are forced to enter their realms. They are known for being grumpy and lewd and cannot be trusted to maintain the standards of civilized society. Though they travel through mortal society, thanks of their powers of Obfuscation, they are not able to interact with it. Therefore, they must live apart. The habits that grow up from such a lonely existence extend even to their interactions with other vampires. They avoid all contact, preferring their own solitary existence to the burdens of contact with others. Though they may not interact with other vampires, Nosferatu do remain cognizant of the pulse of the city. They favour such tactics as listening to the conversations of other vampires from hiding places, and have even been known to sneak into a Prince's haven to discover the Elder's deepest secrets. If you wish to know of any information about the city or its immortal inhabitants, you need only speak with a Nosferatu. The Nosferatu do stay in contact with one another and have developed a unique subculture among the Kindred. They play host to one another with the most elaborate politeness and gentility. They share their information among themselves and, as a result, are probably the best informed of the Kindred. Nosferatu invest an awful lot in teaching their childer with riddle games, memorization exercises and other activities which emphasize sharing and hiding information. The Nosferatu have a deeply ingrained complex about physical beauty, especially with clans like the Toreador. Nosferatu will tend to charge Toreador higher prices, and make the higher clans crawl through humiliating or disgusting tunnels to actually negotiate with them. Similarly, Nosferatu will often accentuate their hideousness by cultivating an array of disgusting physical habits. Nosferatu also tend to use Obfuscate for practical jokes involving their appearance, such as dropping a discipline's use for a brief instant and reveling in the effects. Disciplines: Animalism, Obfuscate, Potence. General appearance: No two Nosferatu look precisely alike, but are all hideous. Gaping fang-filled maws, discolorations, tumors, holes in place of noses, batlike ears, sloping bald heads, twisted spines, claws, wrinkled hides, pustulent sores and webbed fingers are just a few possible deformities possessed by the Nosferatu. An existence in sewers and crypts tends to ensure that the Nosferatu smell about as good as they look. Usual Havens: Their disfigurement forces most Nosferatu to take havens far from the eyes of mortals, in graveyards, abandoned warehouses and cellars. In large cities, entire broods of Nosferatu lair in sewers and subway systems. These "kingdoms", particularly the older ones, are often much more extensive than mortals or Kindred are aware - subterrean labyrinths stretching deep into the darkness and guarded by monstrous ghouls. Even Princes treat warily with the Nosferatu kingdoms. Progeny: The Nosferatu tend to embrace two classes of people: first are those for whom the Embrace is a step up, such as the homeless, vagrants or other people at the bottom of the totem pole. The second class are those for whom the Embrace is a long step down, such as beauty queens. Nosferatu are notorious for revenge embraces, and for gleefully watching as the Curse takes hold. Views on the other clans: Brujah: They talk alot about equality and egalitarianism and other bullsh*t, but they flinch like the rest. Gangrel: They understand - more than the others do, at any rate. We don't talk much, and the silence speaks volumes. Malkavian: There's a nasty smell on the wind, and it's not us. Watch 'em, observe what they do. When you can't see 'em anymore, run or hide. Toreador: These pusbags sure make themselves easy to hate, don't they? Tremere: You really thought abracadabras and eye of newt would let you dive in the deep end of the Jyhad? Idiots. Have fun in Hell. Ventrue: Little Lord Fauntleroy sat on a throne, Little Lord Fauntleroy died there alone.

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